MLB notes: Nationals’ Bryce Harper placed on disabled list

Outfielder Bryce Harper was placed on the 15-day disabled list by the Washington Nationals on Sunday with a sprained left thumb.

Harper hurt his hand with a head-first slide into third base Friday night after hitting a third-inning, bases-loaded triple in Washington’s 11-1 victory over San Diego. He stayed in the game for an inning before he was replaced.

“It’s part of baseball. You slide into the bag and sometimes you get your fingers,” Harper said. “It’s a bummer, but hopefully I’ll be back soon.”

Harper will fly to Cleveland today to see prominent hand specialist Thomas Graham for a second opinion. For now, his proscribed treatment is ice.

“Hopefully 15 days go by and I can get back out there,” Harper said. “We’ll see how I feel in 15.”

abreu makes his mark >> Jose Abreu drove in four runs and set a major league rookie record for RBIs through the end of April and the Chicago White Sox beat the Tampa Bay Rays 9-2.

Abreu, who had a two-run home run in the sixth and a two-run single in the seventh, has 31 RBIs. Albert Pujols had the previous RBI mark of 27 in 2001.

The homer was his major league-leading 10th and extended his own record for home runs by a rookie through April.

dominican delight >> Melky Cabrera, one of a record six players from the Dominican Republic in Toronto’s starting lineup, hit a go-ahead double and the Blue Jays beat the Boston Red Sox 7-1.

The first four hitters in Toronto’s lineup were all from the Dominican Republic: shortstop Jose Reyes, outfielders Cabrera and Jose Bautista and first baseman Edwin Encarnacion.

wainwright first to five >> Adam Wainwright became the majors’ first five-game winner and Jhonny Peralta ended the St. Louis Cardinals’ 366 at-bat homerless drought with a pair of long balls and four RBIs in a 7-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Wainwright (5-1) allowed three hits in eight scoreless innings and hasn’t allowed a run in 25 consecutive innings. He stayed on turn after tweaking his right knee trying to cover first in his last start at New York and had seven strikeouts with two walks.